Which hardware to upgrade ?

teots said:

I'm running windows 10 and emulator games. I want to and only can replace and
upgrade either 8gb memory to 16gb or nvidia gtx 750ti graphics card to nvidia gtx 960/1060.
Which is the bottle neck should I replace ?

Used to be that 4 GB RAM was standard, and we upgraded to 8 GB; these days, though, most machines come with 8 GB, but for me (I don't play games) that wasn't enough.

For games, with only 8 GB RAM, you probably need at least 16 GB. My mobo will take four sticks, so I bought two more matching 8 GB sticks to go in mine. Then, I tried my original 8 GB stick and it worked; I now have 24 GB RAM.

Don't take this as gospel, though. I'm not a gamer; I just know the consensus is that the first upgrade to make things faster is more RAM.

So, wait and see if anyone else will give advice.

Do you have an SSD in that rig?

I'm thinking SSD 1st, graphics 2nd (but then a larger PSU may be required) and RAM 3rd. GPU upgrades come with dedicated video memory to help with anti-aliasing; texture packs will render better, etc. The 750 to 1060 would be nice, but an SSD is first.

Okay, definitely the GPU. But check the PSU requirements.

simrick said:

I'm thinking SSD 1st, graphics 2nd (but then a larger PSU may be required) and RAM 3rd. GPU upgrades come with dedicated video memory to help with anti-aliasing; texture packs will render better, etc. 705 to 1060 would be nice, but an SSD is first.

@teots

Good thing I told you not to take my advice as gospel . . . Simrick is one of our more knowledgeable helpers in TenForums. Take her advice as gospel!

Is the PC to be upgraded the one listed in your specs? If so you will be only able to upgrade your RAM. Why you may ask.........well the minimum PSU requirement for the gtx 1060 is 500 watts. However....if you go with a gtx 960 your current 400 watt PSU will work as the minimum is a 400. Of the 2 GPU's...the gtx 1060 is the better card.

My advice is: upgrading the RAM with current system will help but only minimally. I would just save up and build a decent gaming rig. There's not a lot one can upgrade in a OEM PC like your Lenovo. This is because of the limitations of the generic hardware they use. If you want to upgrade 1 component and that in turn forces your to upgrade a 2nd or even 3rd component. OEM's are not meant to be upgraded.

Plankton has a point. Sometimes you can get an OEM PSU from the manufacturer, that will fit in your existing case. If you go with the 1060, you'll need to upgrade the PSU for sure. Another option is to pull the guts out and put it all in a new case. Then you could buy an off-the-shelf PSU and not have to worry. But that gets things a little more complicated now. Of course, if it's all in the plan for a future build, then you could work it that way.

simrick said:

. Another option is to pull the guts out and put it all in a new case. Then you could buy an off-the-shelf PSU and not have to worry.

The only issue with that is the standoff layout....OEMs have a very different layout. In my experience, they never work...I should say they have never worked for me.